Thursday, February 01, 2007
Spain in a Bottle
There is one wine I enjoy above all others in our hot summer and that is Spanish sherry. Most of the time there is a bottle of Manzanilla lurking in the fridge, not far from the anchovy stuffed Spanish olives, so when we don't feel like eating or drinking much in the heat, we can refresh ourselves with a little tapas. It just seems so right.
It would be fair to say that sherry is Spain's best known wine with many examples right across the flavour spectrum, from the bone dry Finos through to the sweet, concentrated Pedro Ximenez. Cream sherry was my mum's favourite tipple, just ahead of a good gin and tonic. But sherry is far from the whole story when it comes to Spanish wine. From here comes the legendary Vega Sicilia Unico made from mostly Tempranillo and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are from ancient vines and the finished wine is aged for many years before being released to the market. It also costs a bomb.
However for many years Spain suffered from a poor reputation for its wines, many were badly made or had faults and the much cleaner New World wines left them in their wake with their bold flavours and well made wines. As always, there were winemakers doing the right thing and making interesting wines from indigenous varities such as Albarino, Godello and Verdejo for white wines and the red wines from Tempranillo, Garnacha and Manto Negro.
There have been much effort put in over the last few decades to improve the wines, but sadly the whites have been somewhat neglected, though their quality has improved markedly. I was surprised to learn that Cava is the biggest selling sparkling wine behind Champagne in world sales and some of the still white wines that I have tried recently have been impressive as well as interesting.
For those of you interested in, or looking to try something different, there is a tasting of Sherry, Cava and white wines from some of Spain's best producers at Prince Wine Store this weekend. To show them off in a natural manner there will be a selection of tapas, for like all good wines these examples are food friendly.
Saturday, February 3rd, 12.00 to 2.00pm
Prince Wine Store
177 Bank Street
South Melbourne
Cost: Free
It would be fair to say that sherry is Spain's best known wine with many examples right across the flavour spectrum, from the bone dry Finos through to the sweet, concentrated Pedro Ximenez. Cream sherry was my mum's favourite tipple, just ahead of a good gin and tonic. But sherry is far from the whole story when it comes to Spanish wine. From here comes the legendary Vega Sicilia Unico made from mostly Tempranillo and a little Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are from ancient vines and the finished wine is aged for many years before being released to the market. It also costs a bomb.
However for many years Spain suffered from a poor reputation for its wines, many were badly made or had faults and the much cleaner New World wines left them in their wake with their bold flavours and well made wines. As always, there were winemakers doing the right thing and making interesting wines from indigenous varities such as Albarino, Godello and Verdejo for white wines and the red wines from Tempranillo, Garnacha and Manto Negro.
There have been much effort put in over the last few decades to improve the wines, but sadly the whites have been somewhat neglected, though their quality has improved markedly. I was surprised to learn that Cava is the biggest selling sparkling wine behind Champagne in world sales and some of the still white wines that I have tried recently have been impressive as well as interesting.
For those of you interested in, or looking to try something different, there is a tasting of Sherry, Cava and white wines from some of Spain's best producers at Prince Wine Store this weekend. To show them off in a natural manner there will be a selection of tapas, for like all good wines these examples are food friendly.
Saturday, February 3rd, 12.00 to 2.00pm
Prince Wine Store
177 Bank Street
South Melbourne
Cost: Free
Labels: Spanish wine
2 Comments:
Spain is somewhere I'd like to spend more time in. The three nights we stayed in hotel in Seville and the surrounds, the hotel proprietors always gave us a small glass of sherry to welcome us to their country.
Hi tanna, I've never been, but I can literally recall dreaming about being there even as a young boy. Must be one day for sure.
Post a Comment
<< Home